Memorial statue honours Ken Russell a jockey who was killed in a fall at Rosehill in 1993.

Ken Russell, who grew up in Monto, rode his first winner, a horse called Frosty Val, at the little Queensland town of Banana on the 24th June 1972. Ken Russell’s last winner was at Rosehill racecourse on 9th October 1993 on Whivory. He was tragically killed later that same day when his mount Tuig broke down and fell in the last race of the day. He was aged 42. Ken Russell rode in over 10,000 races and won 1804 of them. Whilst he was a great jockey on any track, he earned the nickname “King of the Coast” for his dominance in the riding ranks at Queensland’s Gold Coast track. He went on to ride successfully overseas in Singapore, Malaysia, Macau and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi).